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2 PhD positions in IoT solutions for Smart transport and logistics

Within the Pervasive Systems research group of University of Twente in the Netherlands, there are vacancies for PhD positions in the following areas:

IoT security and Blockchain in smart logistics

The modern supply chain continues to seek more cost savings and greater transparency and efficiency in all processes. While large, centralized systems have been created to manage the flow of goods and data, some problem remain. Security and authentication are crucial elements in this whole chain, for example as the data can be changed from its original form, causing the supply chain not being fully transparent towards the suppliers, manufacturers, and the logistics processes. Blockchain technology possesses the potential to change how the supply chain communicates and operates.

The Blockchain technology offers a number of benefits. While many consider its implications to mainly include simple asset tracking and transparency to real-time feedback from customers, the true scope of its benefits is not known, and it has the potential to become one of the most remarkable breakthroughs in the supply chain history. With a world that is becoming more connected on a daily basis, Blockchain technology will inherently develop into a symbiotic relationship with the Internet of Things and today’s advanced logistics and supply chain management systems.

This PhD research will focus on the Blockchain technology and IoT security for logistics sector. In particular this research will focus on distributed blockchain technologies that are embedded in the smart objects that constitute the modern smart logistics.

Distributed business logic and reliable event processing in smart logistics

The modern supply chain continues to seek more cost savings and greater transparency and efficiency in all processes across the whole chain. The Internet of Things (IoT) is fundamentally transforming the transport industry and logistics. Next- generation smart logistics will optimize the movement of people and goods locally and globally, improving economics, public safety, and sustainability. This requires a multi-tiered intelligent system architecture providing high degree of modularity and autonomy, satisfying demanding and sometimes conflicting requirements of smart logistics and transport in terms of scalability, availability, and security.

This PhD research will focus on the design and evaluation of a new approach towards distributed definition and execution of business rules. The decomposition of business processes through distributed environments creates a paradigm shift and new challenges. This new paradigm allows the decisions to be made at item level, network level, system level and application and therefore will reduce centralized processing and the amount of exchanged data. Additionally, it will allow a more efficient and real-time operations.

Data-centric optimization in smart transport and logistics

IoT solutions can help long-haul cargo operators and last-mile delivery providers efficiently manage the transportation and distribution of freight and merchandise. The introduced efficiency has various economical, societal, and environmental impacts. The next wave of intelligent transportation systems must gather, analyze, and act upon massive volumes of data in a highly efficient and reliable manner. By gathering and analyzing data from on-board sensors to track containers and packages, and to monitor environmental conditions, quality assurance guarantees can be provided for on-time and at right place delivery of goods. The transport and logistic sector are known to have various disjoint systems, each of which being efficient and optimized to some extent. However, the optimization and efficiency across the whole chain can be significantly improved through combining both local and global analysis of bottlenecks and business processes.

This PhD research will focus on data-centric optimization of the business processes across the supply chain by combining sensor data analytics, predictive analytics, and big data to pinpoint bottlenecks and to set up new procedures to ensure an end-to-end optimization of both local and global business processes within interoperable and non-interoperable systems involved in transport and logistic sector.

Requirements

A sound theoretical background in mathematics, data mining, and machine learning with a MSc degree in Computer Science or Statistics. We welcome ambitious candidates with strong communication skills who like to present their work at conferences and project meetings. Fluency in English is required. You need to provide IELTS test results (minimum score 6.5), TOEFL-iBT (minimum score 90) or Cambridge CAE or CPE. An interview and a scientific presentation will be part of the selection procedure.

Information and application
For more information on the research lines at the Pervasive Systems group see ps.ewi.utwente.nl/.

Your application should comprise a letter of motivation, a curriculum vitae, a list with grades of courses attended, contact information of 2 referees and, if applicable, a list of publications. Please indicate for which of the three topics mentioned in the vacancy text you apply.

Applications should be sent before September 1st, 2017, through the link below.

Conditions of employment

We offer a 4-year full-time position as a PhD candidate appointed at the University of Twente (UT), with a qualifier after 1 year. In accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU) the gross monthly salary ranges from € 2.222,- in the first year to € 2.840,- in the fourth year. Additionally, the University of Twente provides excellent facilities for professional and personal development, a holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus, and a number of additional benefits.

Employer

The University of Twente. We stand for life sciences and technology. High tech and human touch. Education and research that matter. New technology which drives change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente is the only campus university in the Netherlands; divided over five faculties we provide more than fifty educational programmes. The University of Twente has a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out pioneering research.

The faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) comprises three disciplines that shape Information and Communication Technology. ICT is more than communication. In almost every product we use mathematics, electronics and computer technology and ICT now contributes to all of societies' activities. The faculty works together intensively with industrial partners and researchers in the Netherlands and abroad and conducts extensive research for external commissioning parties and funders. The research which enjoys a high profile both at home and internationally, has been accommodated in the multidisciplinary research institutes MESA+, CTIT and MIRA.